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Friday, February 17, 2012

Dominicans' dance with want - Le Monde diplomatique - English edition

From one of CUNY's own: "But what are Dominicans fleeing from? In thisgeneral election year this question focuses our attention on theplight of this nation: it is now 49 years since the country was lastled by a truly independent politician, Juan Bosch, in 1963. Thisextraordinary intellectual and man of unimpeachable character was dulydispensed by Washington, in league with its local allies, for hisefforts to bring a popular democracy to a country that had beenbrutally and dictatorially ruled by Trujillo for more than threedecades. Bosch's commitment to land reform, an anti-colonial foreignpolicy, and openly democratic elections were simply too unpalatablefor the US fearful of a freedom-hungry Caribbean four years after theCuban Revolution; thus the country was once more invaded to "saveAmerican lives." Henceforth, the Dominican Republic's trajectorytowards dependency and hopelessness was firmly set in motion."